Paleo Desserts – buy or bake?

Are you on the Paleo Diet? Are you missing sugar in your food? Have you suffered from carbs craving? Did your longing for carbs cause you to gorge snacks or sweets, than feel guilty and gain a pound or two in consequence?

Well, if any of the above applies to you, keep on reading. In this article I’m sharing some tips about paleo desserts you can buy or bake, which can be enjoyed guilt free.

What are paleo desserts?

The Paleo Diet mimics the nutrition habits of our pre-agrarian ancestors, often referred to as cavemen. Pre-agrarian means not growing / eating crops, so obviously there are no regular grain flour (no gluten!) and no sugar in the paleo diet meals. The same rules apply to paleo desserts or cookies. Depending on how “orthodox” paleo you want to go, you can replace these ingredients with e.g. almond flour, stevia or honey.

Dairy is gray zone in the Paleo Diet. The domestication of cattle allowed to include dairy, an important source of animal protein in tough times thousands of years ago, into the diet of our ancestors. However, dairy contains lactose, which is not well tolerated by everyone. If you have African or Asian ancestors, you may be more susceptible to lactose intolerance.

Other ingredients used in the paleo cookies are e.g. pecans, eggs, coconut oil, cacao powder (paleo brownies) or almond and cacao butter, cacao powder and flax meal (almond butter paleo cookies), pumpkin seeds, raisins, etc. Due to the fat share in paleo cookies they tend to be really rich!

Why there is no sugar in paleo cookies?

Sugar and other “quick” carbs have some unpleasant side effects in regard to your metabolism and your body weight (not mentioning your teeth):

sugar gets very fast in your blood, faster than your cells can metabolize (use) it. Your body tries to store the surplus, however it can only buffer a limited amount of it in your liver and muscles, so the rest gets converted to fat (yes, these cute love handles),

excessive amount of sugar in the bloodstream sinks your insulin sensitivity in the long run, so your body tolerates elevated blood sugar. That’s not healthy and can lead to diabetes,

as long as there is sugar in your blood, your body won’t use fat as a source of energy, i.e. you won’t loose weight,

when you run out of blood sugar, you’ll experience so-called carb craving, a ravenous appetite for sweets. Your body expects you to replenish the sugar reserves i.e. to eat another cookie. It’s a vicious circle if you’re trying to loose weight.

Avoiding sugar and flour goes well with other diets too. Low-carb, slow carb or the 4 hour body diet consider fast-digesting carbohydrates to be the main factor responsible for obesity. Paleo cookies might help you in avoiding the bad carbs.

Why do you need paleo treats?

Of course you could go cold turkey and eat only meat with veggies. However allowing some treats makes the transition to paleo diet easier, and increases the chance that you succeed instead of breaking up your diet. Another reason is to have a way of rewarding yourself for sticking to the diet rules. A healthy cookie now and then is a perfect way to boost your motivation on your way to leaner, healthier body.

Paleo desserts – buy or bake?

The decision depends on your time and money budget; however your ravenous appetite can also play a certain role in it. If you’re e.g. a student and prefer to spend some time baking instead of spending money, especially if you enjoy cooking – go for it! Pick a paleo cookbook, heat up the oven and prepare something delicious. A good strategy is to stockpile paleo cookies as your weapon against carb craving.

If you don’t like cooking or simply don’t have time for it, you would probably prefer to buy some sweets. Where to buy it? Unless you live close to a paleo specialty shop, your only (and best) option is to buy online. Buy in bulk to get the best price and to have something to munch when you crave for sweets.

Carb cravings – how to deal with them

Sometimes it’s really difficult to refrain from eating sweets altogether, so there are a few strategies how to avoid the most damage.

Drink or eat something healthy. Sometimes drinking just a glass of water or eating a slice of meat will help. You’ll have something in your stomach and craving won’t be that challenging.

Go cold turkey. Change your eating habits overnight, stop eating the “wrong” food. It will be difficult, like stopping any addiction, but after a few days it gets easier.

Walk or move outside. If it is possible, having a walk puts you away from your pantry and takes your mind away from the food you’re craving.

Give in (but only a little). Eat something sweet, but make sure to choose quality over quantity. Limit the intake and try to savor every bit of it. If you can choose a paleo cookie.

Paleo Treats – where to buy?

Which kinds of paleo cookies can be bought online?

Brownie Bomb,

Bandito,

Mustang Bar,

Cacao Now and

Mac Attack

are the paleo cookies sold by the company Paleo Treats. If you prefer to buy your paleo dessert instead of baking it by yourself, make sure to visit Paleo Treats and check they cookies. Made of paleo ingredients only, they can be your secret weapon against sugar craving. As the cookies contain a little water only (and a lot of healthy fats) they can be frozen without harm to their taste up to 6 months.